This Week in Weird, Sept. 26

Friday

Sep 26, 2008 at 12:01 AMSep 26, 2008 at 7:58 AM

A roundup of unusual news of the past week as reported by GateHouse newspapers.

Decomposing whale carcass fascinates visitors, gives fundraising event a boost
PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- A blubber bag of bones is all that’s left of the juvenile humpback whale that washed up in Plymouth, but the smelly, sagging carcass may be a boon to the whale’s brethren. The 29-foot, 4-ton behemoth that washed up on the Plymouth shoreline is sparking interest in a local whale and dolphin conservation fundraiser.
“We were having trouble getting residents and businesses interested in the event, but since the carcass washed up, we’ve had numerous calls from people wanting to help,” senior biologist Regina Asmutis-Silvia said. “It’s kind of sad that a dead whale is inspiring people.”
Asmutis-Silvia and New England Aquarium and state wildlife officials are working to save the bones of the dead humpback. State wildlife officials offer such bones to institutions and museums for display and education.
Although decaying rapidly, the carcass is still drawing visitors.
“You can’t believe these things are out there, they are so big,” Michael Cashman said, standing near the whale remains. “You only see part of them when they’re in the water.”
Three charged after check dropped at robbery site
ALLEGANY COUNTY, N.Y. -- Three people wound up in jail after bungling a robbery in New York's Allegany County. Amity-based state police said the three from Niagara County near Buffalo drove more than 90 miles to rural Andover, broke into a home and stole several long guns.
On the way out, troopers said one of the three dropped a commissary check issued to him from the Niagara County jail just before his release on other charges. To make matters worse, they ran out of gas on their way back home.
And who did they flag down for help? An off-duty trooper.
Shawn K. Pittler, 20, Casey D. Hayes, 19, and Kayla Rowling, 17, were charged with second-degree burglary.
Cow bones found in home being remodeled
NEWTON COUNTY, Mo. -- A man remodeling a vacant house made an eerie discovery beneath the floorboards: bones. But the bones turned out to be bovine, not human.
Deputies with the Newton County Sheriff’s Department were called to a house in Granby on Sunday night to investigate the discovery of possible human remains. The bones — a pelvis and some leg bones — were sent to a veterinarian for further examination to determine their origin.
“He said at first they looked like animal bones to him,” Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland said. “But there was some doubt, so an officer came out and examined them.” The bones were cut up and could not immediately be recognized as cattle bones, the sheriff said.
'Black-hearted': Wedding ring stolen from dead woman's hand
BROCKTON, Mass. -- For 58 years, Evelyn DeFlavis wore the wedding ring set on her left hand and, when she died, her family planned to bury her with it.
But between the time the 89-year-old woman died in a hospital room and when she was brought to the morgue at Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center, someone opened her clenched hand to steal the gold band and diamond engagement ring.
“To think that someone violated her like that after she died, that’s just inhumane,” said one of DeFlavis’ daughters, Marla J. Seelye.
DeFlavis’ granddaughter Marlaina Gordon said the theft is shocking.
“It just sickens me,” Gordon said. “It is just black-hearted.”
Monique Aleman, hospital spokesman, said the hospital notified police of the theft and is also conducting its own investigation. The hospital’s patient advocate has been working with the family since the incident was reported, she said.
“We take this very seriously,” Aleman said. “It is very serious and we are as interested in the right resolution as the family is.”
Sixty-year-old leads police on foot chase before fighting, biting them
MASSILLON, Ohio -- A 60-year-old Massillon man remained in jail this morning, accused of leading police on a foot chase before fighting with them.
Stark County Jail records said police were at a house when they saw Michael R. Hout running out the back door and down an alley. They followed.
When Officer Thomas Rogers yelled out for him to stop and come back, he yelled, "You're gonna have to kill me," the jail records said.
Rogers approached Hout, pulling out his police baton. Hout shoved him and "attempted to grapple with me," Rogers wrote.
The officer said he struck Hout on the upper left leg with the baton, but the strike had no effect, and a shoving match ensued, jail records said.
Rogers and Patrolman Timothy Anderson took Hout to the ground, was which time Hout tried to bite Anderson's forearm through the officer's jacket, jail records said.
Man cuts down neighbor's trees, shrubs
ALLIANCE, Ohio -- A West Main Street man was arrested after he cut down his neighbor's trees and shrubs Wednesday, Stark County Jail records said.
The 56-year-old man was arrested outside the neighbor's home. He was charged with criminal mischief and criminal and aggravated trespassing, both misdemeanor charges. The jail records said he told police that he cut down the trees and shrubs, but did not say why he did it.
He was released from jail on his own recognizance, jail records said.
Stark County Court records also show he was convicted several times in the past 20 years of criminal misdemeanor charges stemming from disorderly conduct and menacing by stalking to telecommunications harassment and criminal damaging and endangering. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2002 on a felony vandalism charge, county court records show.
GateHouse News Service

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